


The Dream Squad

by NervousAliceCurious



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dreams & Nightmares, Friendship, Funny, Gen, Innocence to a degree, Psychological Horror, Sibling Love, Sibling fights, That one crazy person
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-07-27 10:31:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16217210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousAliceCurious/pseuds/NervousAliceCurious
Summary: Cocoa Puffs, Envy, and Claymore used to be the best of friends. They were Dream Patrol, eliminating the nastiest, and most vile nightmares for the good of kids and adults everywhere. That is, until the day they unknowingly defeated the worst of them all. Now, torn apart by a web of lies, it's up to an ordinary human to do two impossible things: stay alive with a murderous demon on her tail, and somehow get the three of them back together. Otherwise, that same king will use her worst fears to snuff out every dream in the world.





	1. The Sibling Squad

     _3...2...1..._ GO!!!

 

     Launching out of virtually nowhere, they bashed in the windows of Narcissus’ lava tower, and were pleased to see the supposedly-terrifying overlord very visibly jump in fright. Snarling with rage, he turned to face them. “Wh- _who are you!?_ ” The leader of the trio flashed a sinister grin. “I’m _so_ glad you asked”.

 

     As he lunged, poisonous claws outstretched, the energetic one of the crew pulled off the countless beads in his wild purplish hair muttering something in Latin under his breath. “Pleased to meet you, I’m Cocoa Puffs!” he greeted enthusiastically. Narrowly avoiding the strike, he snapped his fingers, and thrust his arms outward as they flew in all directions. Suddenly incandescing with fuchsia light, they instantly congregated into a group, and sped forward as one.

 

     However, rather than bombard the beast into oblivion, the orbs were leeched of their light, and dropped to the ground, useless. Pink flowed through his veins, and electricity crackled. Leering, he thrust his own arms outward, and Cocoa swore under his breath. A beam of pure energy was hurtling straight toward him-!

     A wall of vines arced through the air and created a barrier between him and certain _death._ It smashed into it with considerable force, but the wall held.“You take too many chances”, a voice said nearby. “That I do”, he agreed shakily “Makes life more fun that way”. Elegant in black, the designated vine whisperer smiled wryly at the comment, and then inclined his head toward the enemy. “You may call _me_ Envy”. Toxic green light spilled from his eyes and chest as the healthiest vegetation alive surged out of them. Narcissus was drowned in the flood, and duly plastered against the far wall. “...Although ‘Your Worst Nightmare’ would also suffice...”

 

       “Tch...” Both Envy and Cocoa Puffs turned to face their final teammate. “Looks like that guy ain’t going anywhere”. He rubbed his hands together, smoke rising from the tips of his fingers. “I think I have an inkling that I’ll enjoy this...” He stepped forward, and cracked his knuckles. Then he rolled his neck. Elven winced at the further noise, and Cocoa rolled his eyes. Flashing a mega-watt smile, he said: “Hey, you. Monster”. The half-humanoid beast writhed and struggled. “Name’s Claymore”. Double finger guns. “K-chk”. Envy wore a carefully neutral expression, and Cocoa mouthed ‘You’re _so_ corny!’ He winked, then brought his dual weapons together and _fired_. “Eat magma, FREAKK!!” A pure orange blast streaked into the chest of the evil overlord, blowing a hole through the tower wall. An inhuman scream echoed through the air as he fell.

 

Claymore lifted a finger, licked it, and pressed down on his singed mullet. “Looks like our job here is done.”

 

     “Not quite”. Cocoa and Claymore stared at Envy blankly. “There is still the connection itself to contend with”.

 

     “Ooh, yeah...”, the former admitted. “Can’t forget our lucky victim!”

 

     Claymore shook his head. “Yeah, right. ‘Lucky’ doesn’t even begin to describe it”.

 

     They found it in the far wall, a crystal basin pressed up against the brick. Nodding, they placed their hands upon the Memoriam seed he’d been trying to protect. It had the appearance of a polished crystal globe, and within it was the pitiful image of a young girl tossing and turning, sweat staining her brow despite the peacefulness of her expression. Together, they  placed a hand upon its warm surface and chanted: “ _Bad dreams without a purpose are just wrong. Release the sleeper immediately!”_ It fractured at their touch, and a white light poured forth...

 

     Hikari Juliano woke up in a blink.

    


	2. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Envy tries to relax. It doesn't go very well.

     Envy gradually awakened, eyelids fluttering as they were assaulted by shadow. He didn’t think much of it at first. Slowly uncrossing his arms, and lifting his head up from the wooden desk he’d used as a makeshift pillow, he looked groggily from one side to the other. His post-dream fog dissolved into confusion. _Why are the candles out?_

     It was the one thing he never forgot, even under the most stressful of circumstances. Mildly concerned, he swept a hand over its wooden surface, expecting to feel the smooth metal of Claymore’s lighter. The one he’d been gifted almost a century prior, so moments like these would never happen.

     As luck would have it, his fingertips brushed the essential object, and swept it onto the floor. It made a pinging noise as it glanced off the wooden boards. Cursing internally, he leaned over to retrieve it-

     And _froze_.

     A darker shadow was _there_.

     Next to him...

     He sat there unmoving, staring at it for several minutes. Waiting out his overactive imagination. It seemed to shift and shiver- _was that a mouth!?_ He flinched backwards as it threatened to close on his neck-

     He started awake. Hurriedly pushing himself upright in a panic, he struggled to control his breathing. _It was just a dream. It was just a dream..._

     There was light flooding the room. He was _safe._

      
     The little bell in front of his door jingled, and he almost jumped out of his skin.

     “Hell- _oooo_ , guess who _ooo_!” a voice sing-songed.

_Cocoa...?_

     With a snap of his fingers, the vines stretched over the oak released their silent hold on the lock. “It’s a been awhile”.

     “I know. I’ve been neg _lec_ ting you”.

    

     “What’d you think about old Demon-Face?”

     Envy looked up from the tea he’d been boiling. “I think we were fortunate that he went down so easily”. Perched on the edge of a worktable, Cocoa Puffs tipped his head from one side to the other. “Eeehh, I guess...But at the same time, I _kinda_ feel like he should’ve put up more of a fight. After all, the rumors said he was the most powerful nightmare in existence”.

     “Well...” He picked up the steaming pot. So far, Cocoa seemed to be unaware that his usual calm was being faked. “Rumors can be false”.

     He tugged at the brim of his hat. Envy knew that gesture. It meant that his brother didn’t necessarily agree with what he was saying. “It’s not worth worrying about. You know that, yes?”

     He just tugged harder.

     ...

     “...Have you told Claymore?”

     “No. Not yet. I don’t want to be laughed at”.

     He finished pouring the tea into two cups, and handed one off to Cocoa.

     “Thanks”.

     “Don’t, the pleasure’s all mine. It’s been many years since your last physical visit”.

     The purple fey smiled bitterly. “Yeah, that’s true...I’ll have to come pester you more often”.

     Envy smiled into his drink.

      “How else am I supposed to get you to stop lying?”

      Envy choked.

     “I’m not stupid, you know”. He waggled a finger. “Shame on you for hiding it from me!”

     “...Hiding what?”

     “Your **fear** ”.

    

     A fine mist of the started to waft throughout the room. “Cocoa...”

     “ **Yeeeess...?** ”

     Cocoa hopped off the table. “You...your eyes...”

     “ **What about my eyes?** ”

     “They’re...different...”

     “ **They should be.** ”

     His face morphed into the hideous visage from his dream. “ **Did you enjoy my observation?** ” Envy’s blood chilled. “What are you saying?” Cocoa smirked. “ **You didn’t defeat him, you know. You just made him mad** ”. He began to stalk toward him. “ **Enough to remember who you _are_. Enough to send someone to _torture_ you-**“

     Envy summoned up his reserves of agrokinesis. He had the strangest feeling he was going to need it. The boy who claimed to be his brother just _tsked_. “ **Too easy** ”. Violet fire ignited within his irises, and all of a sudden, a deep, knife-twisting pain invaded his chest. The plants within were twisting and writhing. Restless. His hands clutched at the epicenter, just over his heart.

     “Kh”-

     Cocoa reached out an arm to touch him, and he involuntarily stepped back. “I don’t want-to have to hurt you”. He tapped a steel-toed boot against the floorboards for emphasis. Cocoa chuckled softly. “ **That’s not enough** ”.  He then leaned in. “ **You’re scared...** ” Envy slapped him. The kid faltered. Blood welled up from his busted lip. Wiping his mouth on his sleeve, the insanity drained out of them. “What’d you do that for? You’re not supposed to do that to kids...”.

     He was acting like himself again.

     But Envy wasn’t _sure_.

     “How...are you feeling?”

     “My face hurts”.

     Another Cocoa-like response.

     The first edges of guilt crept in. “I’m...I apologize”.

     “S’fine”.

     The tearing pain in his chest increased until the shoots were firmly protruding through the bones of his rib cage. He gritted his teeth to keep from crying out.

     “What’s the matter?”

      “Something...something happened to you...”

     Cocoa Puffs wore an expression of alarm. “ _What!?_ ”

     The pressure was doing its best to drive him to the ground, and his brother (his real, _unpossessed_ brother) hastily threw his arms around him in a vain attempt to keep him from collapsing.

     He screamed as leafy, ropy foliage twined itself over every limb, and then some, binding him tightly. “It’s-it’s okay”, Envy reassured him. “I’ll stop it somehow...” Cocoa shook his head. “No, let me! You saved my life fifteen minutes ago, now I’m going to save yours!”

     Envy blinked.

     His eyes were _purple_.

     “Cocoa-!”

     The miasma returned in full force, ripping through the floorboards he was currently standing on to reveal a pitch-black vacuum...

     “If I **put you** down **there** , you won’t be **hurt** anymore. You **won’t be scared...** ”

     “ _No!_ I’m not”-

       _Afraid._

_Don’t-_

      He _dropped_ him...

 

     His stomach flip-flopped. He couldn’t handle this. The yawning void surrounding him. It was  _impossibly_ dark. His heart was thudding painfully in his chest. Thudding with cold fear. _How long have I been here?_ It could’ve been an eternity for all he knew. He tried to move and swallowed down the horrific nauseating ache.

     _Cocoa..._     

     He wouldn’t blame him. He _wouldn’t_ blame him. It wasn’t his fault. It _wasn’t_.

    

    

    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I hope I didn't traumatize you all too badly. Feel free to leave comments, and have a wonderful (early) morning!
> 
> Until next time,
> 
> -NervousAliceCurious


	3. The Myth, The Man, The Legend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who is this creep, anyway!? Besides the obvious...

Claymore took off his cowboy hat, and placed it on the bedside table with a sigh.

 

_That guy sure doesn’t know how to quit..._

 

For the past _nine_ months the brothers had been faced with a rash of distress calls from those who’d had their dreams invaded.

 

 

The usual progression of events went like this:

 

The sleeper would have a lucid dream in which they’d see an unidentifiable shadow.

 

Then, after a few nights of feeling menaced yet never actually harmed, the shadow would become clearer.

 

More corporeal.

 

Until.

 

Its hapless target would find themselves facing a monster created from their deepest and darkest fears.

 

 

If nature was allowed to take its course, they would be pursued until it ate them alive.

 

 

At which point, of course...

 

 

They would become trapped within their own personal Hell for eternity.

 

 

Forever being used as a source of fuel.

 

 

 

...He was just glad that whether they knew it or not, those who had been terrorized were able to get their attention!

 

 

 

_It always ends in that tower._

_Always!_

He grimaced slightly at the memory of his corny finger-guns.

 

_There’s no way we would’ve been able to get away with that the first couple times._

_Not to mention get away with such dumb intros..._

He flopped down onto the edge of his bed and let out a looong breath.

 

_We’ve been doing this for an **insanely** long time._

 

Not that they _wouldn’t_ love to track down the source of this mess and blast him into next week...

 

But it was a little hard to do when all of their research (read: Envy’s) came up with _nada._

 

Not in the Humanverse, and not in the Dreamworlds.

 

The guy may as well have been some kind of myth-!

 

 

 If it weren’t for the pesky little technicality that he existed in people’s minds.

 

_Why the heck does he keep wondering who we are, anyway!?_

_You’d think by now ol’ Narc would despise us on sight!!_

 

Shame those couple of questions didn’t seem to have any answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> I know it's been a while, but we're back on track now.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'm NervousAliceCurious. This is the first fic I have ever been able to get off the ground! Yay! I hope you all enjoy it, and stick around for more. 
> 
> ALSO: Chapters should go up one a day or so for right now, and I'll let you know in a jiffy if anything changes! 
> 
> With that said, have a wonderful day, and see you tomorrow!
> 
>  
> 
> -NAC


End file.
